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- Levada do Furado Directions
The walk commonly known as Levada da Portela is officially registered as PR 10 – Levada do Furado, managed by IFCN (Madeira's forests & nature-conservation authority). It's one of the classic levada routes on the island.
| PR code | PR 10 |
| Name | Levada do Furado |
| Route | Ribeiro Frio → Portela |
| Distance | 11 km |
| Difficulty | Moderate |
| Duration | ~5 hours |
| Start point | ER 303 (Ribeiro Frio) |
| End point | E.R. 102 (Portela) |
| Altitude | 645 m min – 880 m max |
| Access fee | €4.50 (visitors > 12 years); free for children ≤ 12, payable via the SIMplifica portal |
| Managed by | IFCN |
The trail follows the Levada do Furado water channel through lush laurel forest (laurissilva), a UNESCO World Heritage ecosystem. You'll walk alongside the narrow irrigation canal, passing through moss-covered tunnels and over footbridges, with sweeping views of the valleys and peaks of the Madeira Natural Park. It's a point-to-point route descending gently from Ribeiro Frio down to the Portela viewpoint, where you're rewarded with a gorgeous panorama over the north coast and the parish of Porto da Cruz.
Getting there: Directions to the trailhead ↗
Photos: walkmeguide.com
⚠️ Always check the current trail status before heading out — open/closed conditions can change. You can verify it on OpenMadeira or the IFCN site.
Beyond the official PR trail, the AllTrails community maps a few variations around Levada da Portela. These are community routes — not part of Madeira's official PR trail network managed by IFCN, so they have no official open/closed status and no signage/maintenance guarantee:
| Route | Distance | Difficulty | Duration | Rating | Reviews |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portela Viewpoint via Levada da Portela | 11.1 km · out & back | Moderate | 4–4.5 hr | 4.4★ | 48 |
| Levada da Portela – Levada do Furado – Fissure | 7.9 km · out & back | Moderate | 3–3.5 hr | 4.3★ | 28 |
| Levada da Portela | 5.6 km · loop | Hard | 3–3.5 hr | 3.6★ | 21 |
The first two community routes are the most popular variations and closely follow the same levada channel, with similar scenery. If in doubt, the official PR 10 is the best-marked and maintained option.
Want me to check the mountain weather forecast and IPMA warnings for the day you're planning to go, or look up how to get to the Ribeiro Frio trailhead by bus from where you're staying?